Weekly Green Thought

"The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God." John of Damascus (675-749), Treatise

Combine and reduce

My calendar post the other day had a great suggestion I hadn't considered. I constantly look for ways to cut my lifestyle and live simpler. This post suggested combining as many hygiene products as possible. If everyone in the house can use the same shampoo, body wash, etc. you can buy in bulk and use refillable containers. Cuts down on waste and expenses. Of course, I'm single so there's no one to share with except my dog, and I'm not sure I should use her shampoo. But hopefully I'll have a larger family someday to share with.

Weekly Green Thought

"Poor innocent little creatures, if you were reasoning beings and could speak, you would curse us. For we are the cause of your death, and what have you done to deserve it?" Isaac the Syrian (late seventh century)

Happy Green Year!

For Christmas I got a "Living Green: 365 Ways to Make a Difference" desk calendar. I'm quite excited about it, and I will use its wisdom to supplement the "Weekly Green Thoughts" (which will hopefully be more weekly than they were in 2009 ;) from The Green Bible.

I like this one a lot since I recently bought a new house. It is on the calendar's box rather than an actual page I've seen yet - but I think it works anyway. "What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on?" - Henry David Thoreau

What if we start to think about the virtue of a house not in terms of square footage or amenities, but in terms of its impact (or hopefully lack thereof) on the earth which is home to all creatures?

Weekly Green Thought

"See my works, how fine and excellent they are! All that I created, I created for you. Reflect on this, and do not corrupt or desolate my world; for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you." Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13 (sixth-eighth centuries)

Weekly Green Thought

"How can a person of flesh and blood follow God?...God, from the very beginning of creation, was occupied before all else with planting, as it is written, 'And first of all, the Eternal God planted a Garden in Eden.' Therefore...occupy yourselves first and foremost with planting." Leviticus Rabbah 25:3 (fifth-seventh centuries)

Weekly Green Thought

"If a dead man is raised to life, all men spring up in astonishment. Yet every day one that had no being is born, and no man wonders, though it is plain to all, without doubt, that it is a greater thing for that to be created which was without being than for that which had being restored. Because the dry rod of Aaron budded, all men were in astonishment; every day a tree is produced from the dry earth...and no man wonders...Five thousand men were filled with five loaves;...every day the grains of seed that are sown are multiplied in a fullness of ears, and no man wonders. All...wondered to see water once turned into wine. Every day the earth's moisture, being drawn into the root of the vine, is turned by the grape into wine, and no man wonders. Full of wonder then are all the things which men never think to wonder at, because...they are by habit become dull to the consideration of them." Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)

A Little Busy Lately

I have seriously been slacking on this blog lately - but at least I have a somewhat decent excuse: I bought a house! It's been an exciting/terrifying thing, but most of the "new" is beginning to wear off as I actually make payments, put holes in walls, and start to fix things that are broken. With the homeownership deal comes tons of "creation care questions." The house is fairly new, and it seems to be energy efficient overall. I bought a very efficient refrigerator - although, there were admittedly models that were better than the one I got. I suppose I am making some sacrifices and compromises involving the size and price of things. Generally I am a zealot about things, but lately I find myself trying to find peace in doing the best I can with what I have. Guess that's really what stewarship is fundamentally all about. We'll see.

Weekly Green Thought

"We should remain within the limits imposed by our basic needs and strive with all our power not to exceed them. Once we are carried beyond these limits in our desire for the pleasures of life, there is no criterion to check our onward movement, since no bounds can be set to that which exceeds the necessary." Nilus of Ancyra (407-94), Ascetic Discourses, vol. 1, Philokalia